In remembrance of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug

“If you stretch yourself, you’ll be surprised how much you can do.  Get a little stardust on your hands, and you’ll be surprised what that can do for you.  And not only for you but also for your family, the state, the nation, and the people of the world.”

Dr. Norman E. Borlaug 

“He disdained all awards and honors, even making light of the Nobel (Peace) Prize when his Swedish forbears, in 1970, recognized his enormous contribution to mankind. When his wife ran to the fields to tell him about the recognition, the story goes, he shooed her away saying someone was pulling her leg.”

As reported by the India Times

“The world has lost a great hero. Dr. Borlaug’s tireless commitment to ending hunger had an enormous impact on the course of history. He will be remembered with love and appreciation around the globe.”

Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, President of the World Food Prize

“In the early 1960s, India and Pakistan were confronting famine and Mr. Borlaug was asked to help. He planted demonstration plots of the new dwarf variety, but was unable to convince the state-owned seed companies to adopt them. By 1965, however, famine in the region was so bad that the governments acquiesced. Mr. Borlaug organized a shipment of 35 truckloads of dwarf wheat seeds. Because of customs problems, the seeds couldn’t be shipped from Mexico in time for planting, so he sent them to a port in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the $100,000 check drawn on the Pakistani ministry bounced because of three misspelled words on its face. Ultimately, the cargo ship set sail for Karachi and Mumbai but before they reached their destinations, India and Pakistan went to war.

Despite these problems, he succeeded in planting the new varieties in the two countries. Consequently, the new crop was 98 per cent bigger than the previous year.  India ordered 18,000 tons of seed from Mexico and the harvest was so big that there was a shortage of labor to harvest it.”

As reported by Dawn, Leading English Newspaper of Pakistan

"Before beginning his science career, Borlaug excelled as a wrestler at Minnesota, reaching the Big Ten semifinals twice in the mid-1930s. He helped organize and promote Minnesota's first high school tournaments and was elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1992. "Wrestling taught me some valuable lessons," he said. "I always figured I could hold my own against the best in the world. It made me tough."

Sports Illustrated